Job Overview

Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Applied Artificial Intelligence

Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Applied Artificial Intelligence
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Ingenuity Labs Research Institute
Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science
Queen’s University at Kingston
October 2021

Queen’s University is situated on traditional Anishinaabe and Haudenosaunee Territory.
The Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering in the Faculty of Engineering and
Applied Science at Queen’s University invites applications for a Tenured faculty position at
the rank of Associate Professor or Professor with specialization in applied AI for
intelligent systems with expertise in the software and/or computer engineering domain.
Example research areas include smart infrastructure or devices for human computer
interactions, AI for cyber-physical systems, AI for cybersecurity, or other relevant emerging
applications. The successful candidate will be nominated and submit an application for a seven
year term position as a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair, eligible for renewal once, to a maximum
of two seven year terms as a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair. The preferred start date for this
faculty position is July 1, 2022. This appointment is open only to qualified individuals who
self-identify as women.

We welcome and support applications from such candidates who also identify as members of
other equity-deserving groups, i.e. Indigenous/Aboriginal peoples, persons with disabilities,
racialized/visible minorities, and members of 2SLGBTQ+ communities.
Queen’s University is committed to academic and research excellence while advancing inquiry
to solve problems and promoting a more equitable, diverse and inclusive research enterprise.
To fully realize this, we must ensure that we have diversity of perspective and experiences to
boldly take on societal, cultural and environmental challenges. Queen’s University has an
employment equity program that meets the goals of the Canada Research Chairs program and
the requirements of our collective agreement with the Faculty Association. Until such time as we
have met our Canada Research Chairs Program equity targets (queensu.ca/vpr/prizesawards-chairs/canada-research-chairs-program-crcp), preference will be given to members of
the Four Designated Groups under the Canada Research Chairs program: women,
Indigenous/Aboriginal peoples, persons with disabilities and racialized persons/visible
minorities. This appointment is open only to qualified individuals who self- identify as
women. All applicants will be invited to self-identify once they have applied. Self-identification
information will be held in confidence by the Human Rights and Equity Office and one specially
trained member of the selection committee. All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply;

“Women” is used because the CRC Program currently employs the categories of the four federally designated
groups (FDG) – Women, Indigenous Peoples, Persons with Disabilities, and Members of Visible Minorities – to
monitor progress towards meeting equity goals. Queen’s has an under-representation of women among Tier 1
Chairholders. The Tri-Agency Institutional Programs Secretariat (TIPS) has established targets for CRC
representation, with staggered deadlines for meeting targets between the period of 2020 to 2029. This initiative
follows the provisions for a special program as described by the Ontario Human Rights Commission.
however, in accordance with Canadian Immigration requirements, Canadian citizens and
Permanent Residents of Canada will be given priority.

Canada Research Chairs were established as part of a national strategy to foster research
excellence (chairs-chaires.gc.ca). The successful candidate must submit an external
application to the Tri-agency Institutional Program Secretariat that meets the requirements for
the successful nomination of Tier 1 Chair as defined by the Canada Research Chairs Program:

• be outstanding and innovative world-class researchers whose accomplishments have
made a major impact in their fields;
• be recognized internationally as leaders in their fields;
• have superior records of attracting and supervising graduate students and postdoctoral
fellows (taking into account different practices in the relevant field or discipline) and, as
chairholders, be expected to attract, develop and retain excellent trainees, students and
future researchers; and
• be proposing an original, innovative research program of the highest quality.

Your Career with Queen’s Engineering

Among our top priorities in the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science is providing
opportunities for early career academics to develop distinguished research and exceptional
teaching contributions while fostering an environment where all faculty can thrive. To promote
on-going success, there is support for course development and delivery that is provided by the
Department, the Queen’s Centre for Teaching and Learning, and the Faculty of Engineering and
Applied Science. Faculty have access to a range of educational technologies including
industry-leading instructional design support offered through the Engineering Teaching and
Learning Team. Support for faculty to develop strong research programs includes Special
Research Grant opportunities, grant writing workshops and review services, and one-to-one
mentorship from experienced colleagues. Queen’s Engineering is also committed to increasing
the proportion of women in engineering, supported by the recent establishment of a Chair for
Women in Engineering.

Queen’s University is one of Canada’s leading research-intensive universities with a global
reputation and is a recognized leader in Canadian higher education. Queen’s brings together
and builds synergies among leading researchers, scholars and innovators making a real and
measured impact. The interdisciplinary nature of our faculty’s research expertise is exemplified
through seven innovative research centres, institutes, and major differentiating research
facilities. These innovation hubs are designed to support collaborative discovery and mentoring,
facilitating research innovation for FEAS faculty, students and colleagues across the university.
The Ingenuity Labs Research Institute, which brings together researchers from across the
campus whose research programs span the fields of artificial intelligence and machine learning
to robot control, smart sensors, and mechatronic devices.

The Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering has 32 full-time and 6 cross-appointed
faculty, 852 undergraduate students, and 180 graduate students. The Department offers
undergraduate, Master’s, and Doctoral Programs in Electrical Engineering and Computer
Engineering and it offers a unique entrepreneurial engineering program referred to as the ECE
Innovation Stream, ECEi. The Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering is home to
the Queen’s Centre for Energy and Power Electronics Research (ePOWER) and it has
connections to a number of multi-disciplinary Centres such as CMC Microsystems,
Nanofabrication Kingston, Human Mobility Research Centre, Green Centre Canada, Innovation
Park, and the Dunin-Deshpande Queen’s Innovation Connector.

Criteria:
The successful candidate must have a PhD in Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering or
a related discipline.

The main criteria for selection are:

• evidence of research and teaching excellence;
• ability to provide evidence of high quality scholarly output in their field as well as
outstanding teaching contributions at both the undergraduate and graduate levels;
• an ongoing commitment to academic and pedagogical excellence in support of the
Department’s programs;
• Professional engineering licensure in Canada, or the eligibility to obtain licensure, is a
requirement. Note that all forms of engineering licensure in Canada are considered
acceptable (e.g. P.Eng., temporary engineering license, provisional engineering license,
etc.).
• Demonstrated commitment to professional leadership and an ability to work
collaboratively in an interdisciplinary environment.

The successful candidate will also be expected to make contributions through service to the
Department, the Faculty, the University, and/or the broader community. Salary will be
commensurate with qualifications and experience.
Queen’s University Commitment to Equity, Diversity and Inclusion.

Within the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science, innovation thrives with new perspectives
and experiences, and the diversity of our workforce enhances our research and teaching
excellence. People from across Canada and around the world come to learn, teach and carry
out research at Queen’s University. With foundational values of collaboration, respect and
diversity, we are committed to embracing an inclusive environment and supporting each
member of our community to reach their fullest potential. Ranking 1st in Canada and 5th in the
World in the 2021 Times Higher Education Impact Rankings, Queen’s is committed to
advancing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. We encourage those who share
our commitments to diversity and inclusion to join our Faculty.

The University is situated on the traditional territories of the Haudenosaunee and Anishinaabe,
in historic Kingston on the shores of Lake Ontario. Kingston’s residents enjoy an outstanding
quality of life with a wide range of cultural, recreational, and creative opportunities. Visit
Inclusive Queen’s for information on equity, diversity and inclusion resources and initiatives.
Faculty and their dependents are eligible for an extensive benefits package including
prescription drug coverage, vision care, dental care, long term disability insurance, life
insurance and access to the Employee and Family Assistance Program. You will also
participate in a pension plan. Tuition assistance is available for qualifying employees, their
spouses and dependent children. Queen’s values families and is pleased to provide a ‘top up’
to government parental leave benefits for eligible employees on maternity/parental leave. In
addition, Queen’s provides partial reimbursement for eligible daycare expenses for employees
with dependent children in daycare. Details are set out in the Queen’s-QUFA Collective
Agreement. For more information on employee benefits, see Queen’s Human Resources.
Additional information about Queen’s University can be found on the Faculty Recruitment and
Support website.

To comply with federal laws, the University is obliged to gather statistical information as to how
many applicants for each job vacancy are Canadian citizens / permanent residents of Canada.
Applicants need not identify their country of origin or citizenship; however, all applications must
include one of the following statements: “I am a Canadian citizen / permanent resident of
Canada”; OR, “I am not a Canadian citizen / permanent resident of Canada”. Applications that
do not include this information will be deemed incomplete.

In addition, the impact of certain circumstances that may legitimately affect a nominee’s record
of research achievement will be given careful consideration when assessing the nominee’s
research productivity. Candidates are encouraged to provide any relevant information about
their experience and/or career interruptions.

A complete application consists of:

• a cover letter (including one of the two statements regarding Canadian citizenship /
permanent resident status specified in the previous paragraph);
• a current Curriculum Vitae that includes a comprehensive list of publications (with
supervised students on publications clearly identified), awards, and grants received;
• a statement of research interests and achievements;
• a statement of teaching interests and experience (including teaching outlines and
evaluations if available); and,
• a statement identifying their strengths and experiences with respect to increasing equity,
diversity, and inclusion in their institutional environment
• the contact information for three references.

The deadline for applications is January 15, 2022; however, applications will continue to be
reviewed until the position is filled. Applicants are encouraged to send all documents in their
application packages electronically as PDFs to the Department Head, Prof. Carlos Saavedra, at
ece-search@queensu.ca, although hard copy applications may be submitted to:

Prof. Carlos Saavedra, Department Head
c/o Shelly Stilson
Electrical and Computer Engineering
Walter Light Hall, Room 416
19 Union Street
Kingston, ON K7L 3N6
Canada

The University will provide support in its recruitment processes to applicants with disabilities,
including accommodation that takes into account an applicant’s accessibility needs. If you
require accommodation during the interview process, please contact Shelly Stilson in the
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, at ece-search@queensu.ca
Academic staff at Queen’s University are governed by a Collective Agreement between the
University and the Queen’s University Faculty Association (QUFA), which is posted at
queensu.ca/facultyrelations/faculty-librarians-and-archivists/collective-agreement and at
qufa.ca.
Appointments are subject to review and final approval by the Provost. Only nominees external
to Queen’s University will be considered. (Please note that, for the purposes of this competition,
Queen’s Term Adjuncts and Adjunct-1s will be considered as external nominees).

Apply Soon!